Founded by Creager in 1992, they have long held true to their mission of enlightening the common man as to the power and versatility of the mighty cello. Historically influenced, and constantly costumed, Rasputina keeps a small legion of incredibly passionate admirers enthralled with their earnest musicianship. Considered to be quite a pioneer and visionary, Melora and her group have inspired countless young people to pick up the cello, and have re-inspired many uninspired string players. Rasputina considers this to be the finest payment for their work.
Professional involvements have included Nirvana, Ultra Vivid Scene, Marilyn Manson, Porno For Pyros, Belle and Sebastian,and Cheap Trick.
Former Members of Rasputina:
Julia Kent (89-99)
Kris Cowperthwaite (00-02)
Zoë Keating (02-06)
Sarah Bowman (06-08)
Jonathon TeBeest (00-08)
In Old Yellowcake
Rasputina Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the edge of a city that exist in perpetual gloom.
I snatch a note from the basket of a passing bicycle -
It says, "Go to the flour factory. There's something waiting there for you."
Under the window, covered by curtains,
All lacy and splattered with blood,
We find crutches in the corner and bullets on the shelves,
Underneath a staircase is a mast which flies a flag.
Despite dankess beyond imagining, it floats on to a higher hole.
In tunnels gouged beneathe the basement rooms are, unmistakably,
Sets of bloody handprints on a crumbling wall.
Oh won't you be there with me for it, tonight?
In this hut-to-hut witch hunt, down the tunnels of Old Yellowcake,
When all the souls in a city go drowning by starlight,
Where each choice you make is a fierce firefight or a new mistake?
Inside of a room is a cage, is a cage.
It's made out of chain and class.
It's about forty feet high and three feet wide,
And it was built to last.
It's against a brick wall
In an old muddy corner of a basement tunnel room.
There's a man in the cage in the old, muddy corner.
He's asleep, but he'll wake up soon.
Under the window, covered by curtains,
All lacy and splattered with blood,
We find crutches in the corner and bullets on the shelves,
Which I dismiss at once as being equivalent, irrelevant, in and of themselves.
Oh won't you be there with me for it, tonight?
In this hut-to-hut witch hunt, down the tunnels of Old Yellowcake,
When all the souls in a city go drowning by starlight,
Where each choice you make is a fierce firefight or a new mistake?
The song “In Old Yellowcake” by Rasputina is a haunting and enigmatic piece that paints a vivid picture of a dystopian city, and the singer’s journey through it. The lyrics initially describe the city’s constant darkness and bleakness as smoke rises from the nearby ice factory. The singer then snatches a note from a passing bicycle that directs them to the flour factory where something awaits them. As they journey to the flour factory, they find a room covered in lace curtains, with crutches in the corner and bullets on the shelves, leading to a sense of unease and foreboding.
The song’s tone and imagery take a darker turn when the singer discovers a maze of tunnels beneath the city. They describe scenes of violence and struggle, as souls drown by starlight and every decision is a life or death one. The singer comes across a cage, 40 feet high and 3 feet wide, inside an old muddy corner of a basement tunnel room. A man sleeps inside, soon to wake up.
Overall, the song conjures up a sense of unease, mystery, and dystopian despair. The lyrics are rich in symbolism and allegory, leaving much open to interpretation.
Line by Line Meaning
Smoke rises from the ice factory on the edge,
There's a factory on the outskirts of a city and smoke is coming from it.
On the edge of a city that exist in perpetual gloom.
The city is always dark and gloomy.
I snatch a note from the basket of a passing bicycle -
The singer grabs a note from a bike basket as it goes by.
It says, 'Go to the flour factory. There's something waiting there for you.'
The note instructs the artist to go to the flour factory where something is waiting for them.
Under the window, covered by curtains,
There's a window with curtains covering it.
All lacy and splattered with blood,
The curtains are lacy and have blood on them.
We find crutches in the corner and bullets on the shelves,
In the room there are crutches and bullets.
Which I dismiss at once as being equivalent, irrelevent, in and of themselves.
The artist deems the crutches and bullets unimportant and doesn't dwell on them.
Underneath a staircase is a mast which flies a flag.
There's a flagpole flying a flag under a staircase.
Despite dankess beyond imagining, it floats on to a higher hole.
Despite the extreme dampness, the flag continues to fly.
In tunnels gouged beneathe the basement rooms are, unmistakably,
There are tunnels beneath the basement rooms.
Sets of bloody handprints on a crumbling wall.
There are bloody handprints on one of the walls of the tunnels.
Oh won't you be there with me for it, tonight?
The singer wants someone to be with them tonight.
In this hut-to-hut witch hunt, down the tunnels of Old Yellowcake,
The singer will be going on a hunt through the tunnels of Old Yellowcake.
When all the souls in a city go drowning by starlight,
The people of the city seem to be struggling under the light of the stars.
Where each choice you make is a fierce firefight or a new mistake?
Every decision made is a difficult one and could be disastrous.
Inside of a room is a cage, is a cage.
There's a cage in a room.
It's made out of chain and class.
The cage is made of metal chains and bars.
It's about forty feet high and three feet wide,
The cage is very tall and narrow.
And it was built to last.
The cage was built with durability in mind.
It's against a brick wall
The cage is up against a wall made of bricks.
In an old muddy corner of a basement tunnel room.
The cage is in a dirty corner of a basement tunnel.
There's a man in the cage in the old, muddy corner.
There's a man being held captive in the cage.
He's asleep, but he'll wake up soon.
The captive is currently asleep but will soon awaken.
Oh won't you be there with me for it, tonight?
The singer repeats their earlier request for someone to be with them tonight.
In this hut-to-hut witch hunt, down the tunnels of Old Yellowcake,
The hunt through Old Yellowcake's tunnels continues.
When all the souls in a city go drowning by starlight,
The people continue to struggle under the light of the stars.
Where each choice you make is a fierce firefight or a new mistake?
Every decision made is still a difficult one and could still be disastrous.
Contributed by Bella A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.